8.1 Introduction

Providing vehicle drivers and passengers access to information about their location, planned trip route, and sites of interest along the way has been a challenge since the early automobile days. For many decades, the American Automobile Association, as well as other organizations and publishers, have produced printed maps, guidebooks, and specialized trip documents. Today, onboard computers, global positioning satellite (GPS) systems, and Internet access now make interactive screen displays a technical reality, but the user interface and information design challenge is more striking than ever because of both the quantity and the quality of information access. Many commercial systems are still in the early stages.

This chapter discusses an early (1989 92) project in user interface and information visualization (UI+1V) design supported by Motorola Corporation. This project attempted to solve a number of constraints for vehicle navigation:

• Legible displays (easily noticed, discernable)

• Readable displays (easily comprehended, appealing)

• Systematic use of visible language (colors, signs, layouts, maps, etc.)

• Variability of key displays to account for users' cognitive preferences

The results continue to have relevance to current systems. The project approaches user interface design from a user and communication perspective, not a technology and code perspective. The chapter will introduce fundamental definitions of user interface design, review the history of the user interface design of a particular kind of product, and explain design issues that are vital to the success of computer-based communication products.

In personalizing technology beyond the desktop, user...